The family of Burnett of Leys, with collateral - Electric Scotland

DEESIDE BURNETTS: XVI. SIR ALEXANDER. 91
the age of 14, to Alexander Burnett, younger of Leys, and her " share of
her father's fortune amounted to 7000 sterling, her father having left
her the barony of Cowtoun, and seven years' full rent of his other estate,
a very opulent fortune in those days."*
On the 3rd November, 1704, a postnuptial contract was entered into
between Alexander and Helen Burnett, to which Sir Thomas was a
party, by which Helen made over Cowtoun (then of the yearly rent of
30 chalders of victual) and her third as heir-portioner of her father's other
lands, to Sir Thomas, who, in consequence, became bound to infeft her,
in the event of her surviving her husband, in 33 chalders of victual out of
his own estate, and to give her husband the fee of Leys, and to put both
spouses in immediate possession of 36 chalders yearly out of Muchalls.
It was probably his growing conviction of the encumbered state of his
own affairs that led Sir Thomas, in the following year (i6th April, 1705),
to enter into an obligation that, in the event of his doing any fact or
deed by which his son should be excluded from his succession, he should
be recompensed for his surrender of Cowtoun by 40,000 Scots paid to
him, his heirs, or assignees.
Sir Samuel Forbes of Foveran, describing Crathes in 1714, immediately
after the death of Sir Thomas Burnett, says, " The house of Crathess is
well built, well planted with natural and artificial wood ; the gardens
produce delicate fruit ; the soil is warm, the victual substantious and
weighty. Sir Thomas entered with a faire and free estate, by the
assistance of a kindlie tutor ; had ample casualties from the Government,
yet left his affairs difficulted to his son, Sir Alexander, whose commenda-
tion 'twill be to retrieve the incumbrances "
(Collections for the Shires of
Aberdeen and Banff, i., 38). Sir Thomas Burnett's affairs indeed turned
out, on his demise, in 1714, to be in a worse condition than had been
contemplated. At a family council, held a few days after his death, the
full extent of the embarrassments being as yet unknown, Sir Alexander
became a party to an agreement with his mother and wife that he should
*The second daughter, Agnes, married, in 1701, in accordance with her father's will,
Thomas Burnett of Glenbervie. The third daughter, Jean, unable to fulfil her father's wish
in consequence of the death, in 1695, of her destined husband (younger
son of her uncle,
James Burnett of Monboddo), married William, younger son of Sir Thomas Burnett of Leys,
afterwards known as William Burnett of Criggie, and was ancestress of the sixth and later
baronets of Leys.